Medal of Valor to Honor Eight Officers

On Tuesday, May 20, 2003, the Portland Police Bureau's Medal of Valor Dinner and Awards Ceremony will be held at the Portland Hilton Hotel. This year, eight officers will be honored with the Medal of Valor, the Bureau's highest award, at a dinner hosted by the Police Foundation. Area businesses and community members fund the dinner and ceremony.

The ceremony will begin with a reception at 5:00p.m., dinner at 6:00 p.m., and awards presentation at 7:30p.m. This year's Master of Ceremonies is Jim Bosley and Celebrity Narrator is Earl Holliman.

The following Police Bureau members will be honored: Officer Andrew Kofoed for diving in and rescuing a 75-year-old woman who was near death and floating in Laurelhurst Pond; Officer George Weseman who apprehended a suspect involved in cashing a fraudulent check-despite the fact that the suspect had just shot Officer Weseman in the head; Officer Nathan Wollstein, who risked his own life by grabbing on to a man determined to jump off the Fremont Bridge; Sergeant Larry Wooten, Officers Gary Barbour, Peter Mahuna, Mike Stradley and Officer Joe Savage, all members of the Special Emergency Reaction Team (SERT), who responded to an incident where a man in an unknown apartment began shooting at a TriMet bus, citizens and responding officers.